KLP Publishing Posted June 4, 2010 Author Share Posted June 4, 2010 (edited) Well, nothing but scribing and riveting of late. Trying to scribe the fuselage halves has been an expletive-laden exercise in frustration and humiliation, but I got there in the end. There being 'good enough' of course, not 'perfect'. I've also finished riveting one fuselage side, and here's the comparison: I'll have to add a few more lines, panels and rivets once the two halves are joined, plus all the remedial work after cleaning up the seams. The other thing I did was give up on the idea of scratch-building the landing gear. Instead, I've opted to work with what's in the kit, but of course I've already removed that portion of the wing that the main gear legs attach to. I had originally assumed they were way too low anyway, but in studying the real thing, plus checking out Trumpeter's 1/32 kit, I've come to realise that they're pretty close to right. So, I decided to liberate the kit's attachment lugs from the wing section I removed (lucky I didn't throw it out!), and reuse them for their original purpose: I can't believe how long it's taken just to get this far. The IPMS Australian Plastic Modelling Championship is on next weekend (our equivalent of Telford or the US Nationals), and when I started this build I was hoping to have it ready for that! Be lucky to make next year at this rate. I told youse I was slow! Kev Edited August 5, 2017 by Big Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Uncool Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 It's lookin' good, Kev! Some minor mistakes made on the riveting, but I guess the whole process must be extremely tiresome. Are ya usin' any Dymo tape to guide yer RB's Rivet-R tool? Whut grain of Mr Surfacer did ya use? Yer Monogram kit doesn't look like Monogram any more. Think how much better it will look like after ya cut the movable surface on the tail and get rid of that awful arrestin' hook. Me is a bloody pusher. As for the main gear legs fix; why, mate? WHY...???!!! (just jokin'). I think yer fix won't be much noticeable after ya've added all that detail on the gear well, right? Seriously now; ya'll have to glue the landing gear legs before closing the fuselage. This FM-2 conversion takes its time, Kev; all the more so, considering the kit ya're usin' as a basis for it. But once it's finished, I can assure ya it'll kick serious bottom! Oh, yeh it will. Weekend going awlright so far over there in beautiful Melbourne? Cheers, mate! Unc² Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLP Publishing Posted June 5, 2010 Author Share Posted June 5, 2010 (edited) Uncle Uncool said: It's lookin' good, Kev! Some minor mistakes made on the riveting, but I guess the whole process must be extremely tiresome. Are ya usin' any Dymo tape to guide yer RB's Rivet-R tool? Whut grain of Mr Surfacer did ya use? Yer Monogram kit doesn't look like Monogram any more. Think how much better it will look like after ya cut the movable surface on the tail and get rid of that awful arrestin' hook. Me is a bloody pusher. I'm trying to avoid using Dymo tape as much as possible, as I appear to have a dud roll with very little actual 'stick'. For straight, flat surfaces I prefer a ruler or straight edge anyway. For the curved surfaces, I'm resorting to laying down multiple layers of thin tape, which is working out OK. Thanks to William Lawlor at LSP for the tip! The Mr Surfacer is 1200 out of the bottle, thinned with Mr Color Thinner (around 40/60 paint/thinner) and airbrushed. Did FM-2's have arrestor hooks as well? Stupid question I know, but I'm assuming they did. Any ideas on how to fix or improve the kit one? Uncle Uncool said: As for the main gear legs fix; why, mate? WHY...???!!! (just jokin'). I think yer fix won't be much noticeable after ya've added all that detail on the gear well, right? Seriously now; ya'll have to glue the landing gear legs before closing the fuselage. Nah, should be able to finagle most of it together after the fact. That's kinda why I ended up opting for this approach. I looked at the landing gear in the 1/32 Trumpeter kit, and it's a work of art! Might have more of a chance of copying it when I do this to the 1/32 Revell kit. Not sure about it kicking bottom though! I hope I'm not getting anyone's expectations up. I'm certainly not trying to turn this into the best Monogram Wildcat anyone's ever seen. I really just want to get better at this whole detailing/scratch-building/conversion thing, and make this look better than the first one I built! The riveting is just an experiment to see what's involved, and what it brings to the model. I like it so far! Kev Edited August 5, 2017 by Big Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Uncool Posted June 5, 2010 Share Posted June 5, 2010 Did FM-2's have arrestor hooks as well? Stupid question I know, but I'm assuming they did. Any ideas on how to fix or improve the kit one? Aw, no question is stupid, my mate. Be that as it may, does this photo answer yer question, Kevster, yes? yes? yes? yeeeeeeeeeeeessssss...??? Best way to fix the arrestor hook in the Monogram kit is to shave it off completely; open up a slot at the end of the tail cone and scratchbuild a new arrestor hook from wire and plastic rod or stretched sprue. I like it so far! Me too...!!! Cheers, Kev! Onkel Dunkelgrau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLP Publishing Posted June 8, 2010 Author Share Posted June 8, 2010 (edited) Righto, time for another update. I've spent my precious modelling time detailing the undercarriage cavern. I tried for some semblance of verisimilitude, but mostly just wanted it to look a bit busy in there. I put a 'hood' over the lot to hide the upper fuselage seam once installed, as well as the ugly insides of the exhaust cut-outs. You won't actually be able to see that much once it's all assembled, so I reckon I'll get away with it. I probably need to turn my attention to the cockpit next. Thanks for looking! Kev Edited August 5, 2017 by Big Kev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLP Publishing Posted June 19, 2010 Author Share Posted June 19, 2010 (edited) Well, not much time for quality modelling lately, but I've managed to crawl forward slightly on this build. First of all, some cockpit stuff. I mixed my own shade of interior green/bronze green, but I think it came out too dark. Here's a shot of my scratch-built control stick: The camera flash has obliterated all the pertinent detail, but the stick itself is metal wire (not sure what sort actually), the grip is carved styrene rod, and the boot is Milliput. Once the Milliput dries, it'll get some paint. Here's the inside of the fuselage halves: That's about as detailed as I feel like getting with this one. It's mostly the Eduard set, and I have to say the more I use PE, the more I despise it! I do really like the way the instrument panel turned out though: Just seatbelts to finish the cockpit now. And finally, the landing gear bay, all painted and weathered: Again, the flash has made a mess of it, but you get the gist. Thanks for looking! Kev Edited August 5, 2017 by Big Kev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverkite211 Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 That's coming along very nicely! I personally don't have a problem with your Bronze Green, it was sort of a murky looking color, from what I've seen. Working with PE is fun, isn't it? You should try dealing with the PE that came in the Monogram High-Tech kits, instead of brass the parts were etched steel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLP Publishing Posted June 19, 2010 Author Share Posted June 19, 2010 (edited) Thanks sliverkite. I'm doing my best to power through this one now, as it has gone on long enough! Still quite a lot of work to do though. I've finished the cockpit interior to my satisfaction by adding scratch-built seat belts: I'm finally at the stage where I can start putting the major assemblies together, but the cockpit, fuselage halves and lower wing assembly all have to be brought together in a single step! Should be fun... Kev Edited August 5, 2017 by Big Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Uncool Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 Nice! Nice! NICE...!!! (ya should picture me yellin' that while returnin' from the laundry room back to the bedroom). Awesome job, Kevster! Excuse my absence, but me's been thrown in the sin bin once again. It's extraordinary the progress ya've made, mate! Gonna ask my masters to be put in the sin bin more often because it's a blast to see yer progress every time I'm released. The cockpit is lookin' incredible; whut brand of dials have ya used on the IP, Mike Grant or Waldron's? Geez, mate; me likes yer work a huge lot! If only ya would cut out that 'hood' ya fashoned over the wheel well cavern and thermoform it over a circular pattern so that it followed the contour more neatly. It wouldn't be hard to add some plastic strips, wiring and tubing on the inside to simulate ribs, electric and hydraulic system details y'know. Yes? yes? yes? yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssss...??? Or nay? Cheers, Kev! Unc² Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLP Publishing Posted June 20, 2010 Author Share Posted June 20, 2010 (edited) Uncle Uncool said: The cockpit is lookin' incredible; whut brand of dials have ya used on the IP, Mike Grant or Waldron's? Nah, they actually come with the Eduard set. It's a pre-printed acetate sheet with the dials left as see-through bits. I merely backed them with some white stryene, and then added the PE panel over the top. Of course, it's already fallen off once while trying to test-fit it into the fuselage. The IP and seat are the only really useful parts in the Eduard set IMHO, and if I were to do this again I'd scratch-build the rest. As it is I've already had to dispense with the rudder pedal assemblies, as they're too tall for the available space. I'm guessing I should have had the cockpit floor lower, but Eduard don't give you any indications at all about where it should go, so everything's guesswork. I'm going to leave the canopy closed to help hide what a mess it all really is! Uncle Uncool said: Geez, mate; me likes yer work a huge lot! If only ya would cut out that 'hood' ya fashoned over the wheel well cavern and thermoform it over a circular pattern so that it followed the contour more neatly. It wouldn't be hard to add some plastic strips, wiring and tubing on the inside to simulate ribs, electric and hydraulic system details y'know. Yes? yes? yes? yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssss...??? Or nay? Nah, too lazy mate. From now on I'm going to concentrate on the "FM-2-ness" of the build. It's dragging out way too long already. I'm gonna save all my strength for the 1/32 version! Kev Edited August 5, 2017 by Big Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Uncool Posted June 20, 2010 Share Posted June 20, 2010 Nah, ... Ooooohh... woe is me... I'm going to leave the canopy closed to help hide what a mess it all really is! Jokin,' aren't ya...? Cockpit's comin' along very well, Kevo! Don't do that, P*L*E*A*S*E! Or me is tellin' Tatafu Polota Nau. Nah, ... Ooooohh, more woe is me...!!! Snif, snif... Unc² Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLP Publishing Posted June 21, 2010 Author Share Posted June 21, 2010 (edited) Well, I managed to strike a minor disaster since my last post. However, before I give details of that, here's a shot of the cockpit installed, with the wings and fuselage ready to come together: In all my test fitting, I was rather confident that I could get the wings fitting quite nicely. However, what I'd failed to take into account was that I had been testing the fit of the top and bottom sections independently. When I finally brought them together as a unit, this is what confronted me: I was left with 2 choices: Carve away the root stub on the fuselage, or pack out the front of the wing so that the top matched the contour of the stub. Well, I toyed with the latter, but after seeing this: No way! The end result would be stupidly thick. Just like me apparently. So, I opted, somewhat reluctantly, for the first option: Here it is in close-up: It'll have to do I'm afraid. Luckily (and somewhat strangely), the other side was nowhere near so bad, so I elected to pack the leading edge gap on that one: I just knew when I started this project that it was probably going to give me more than I can chew, and it looks like my spidey-sense was right. Still, I'm nothing if not stubborn, so I'm not defeated yet! Kev Edited August 5, 2017 by Big Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLP Publishing Posted June 25, 2010 Author Share Posted June 25, 2010 (edited) I'm now deep into that phase of building a model that I detest: filling and sanding. As you can see from the photo below, I've managed to fit the resin tail extension, and put a forward bulkhead in place: It was only after I fitted the tail extension that I noticed that the position of the rudder hinge line doesn't seem to match from side to side. This meant that it was badly misaligned with the kit one on the starboard side. I've carved a new one, and attempted to fill the old one, which was tricky since I effectively made one huge trench, where I had to fill half of it neatly! We'll see how it all looks after some primer. The forward bulkhead brought to light a different problem. The mounting 'pole' I made for the engine is just fractionally too long, meaning that when fitted into the cowling, the rear mounting plate I made bulges slightly in the middle (forced outward by the too-long pole). This in turn means the whole assembly doesn't sit flush with the forward bulkhead on the fuselage, so I'll need to fix that now. More soon! Kev Edited August 5, 2017 by Big Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScanmanDan Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Oh, the joys of model building. Your little Wildcat is coming along great Kev. I've been lurking about as you have been hammering this old kit into shape. Full marks for your abilities and determination to see a tough one through to the end. I can't wait to see how you apply you powers it's big scale brother. Keep up your spirits, the little cat will look kick @ss when it's finished. You just know that once you get some paint on her you'll feel so much better. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPNGROATS Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 I'm impressed with your FM-2 saga....it looks like you'll end up with something to be proud of..! Cheers, ggc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Uncool Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Nuuuuuuuuuuu... Aw, my goodness! That old Monogram kit is still fightin' ya, Kev, ain't it? Damn, it's givin' ya hell, but be relentless, my mate! Ya're sortin' it all very well, me sees. In all my test fitting, I was rather confident that I could get the wings fitting quite nicely. However, what I'd failed to take into account was that I had been testing the fit of the top and bottom sections independently. When I finally brought them together as a unit, this is what confronted me: Uh-huh, 'n' that's why I told ya it was best to fit the centre wing section first 'n' then go from there on with the bracing of the outer wing parts; which is how the instruction sheet recommend doin,' if I recall correctly. Have ya checked the dihedral angle on the wings? Those Monogram wings are a straight nightmare; me knows. Why makin' it even harder on ya, Kev? Anyways, ya've managed to correct it awesome. It was only after I fitted the tail extension that I noticed that the position of the rudder hinge line doesn't seem to match from side to side. This meant that it was badly misaligned with the kit one on the starboard side. I've carved a new one, and attempted to fill the old one, which was tricky since I effectively made one huge trench, where I had to fill half of it neatly! We'll see how it all looks after some primer. Oh? Have ya got photos of each one of the sides in the tail section? Me can't quite get how one side matches 'n' the other one doesn't. If so, wouldn't it have sorta been a terribly noticeable misalignment defect on the resin part at first sight? The forward bulkhead brought to light a different problem. The mounting 'pole' I made for the engine is just fractionally too long, meaning that when fitted into the cowling, the rear mounting plate I made bulges slightly in the middle (forced outward by the too-long pole). This in turn means the whole assembly doesn't sit flush with the forward bulkhead on the fuselage, so I'll need to fix that now. But... but... but... didn't the cowl assembly have its own bulkhead already? Awlright, awlright; me's gonna go bang "me" head against the wall for a spell. Me doesn't get any thang (any "thong" ) any more. Ya're doin' it quite okay, Kevo; don't ya give up on a model which is almost done. Me's here to help ya, mate (even when ya won't heed my advice ). Me likes yer model very much! Cheers, chap! Unc² Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLP Publishing Posted June 27, 2010 Author Share Posted June 27, 2010 (edited) Uncle Uncool said: But... but... but... didn't the cowl assembly have its own bulkhead already? Yeah, it does. That's the one that bulges slightly in the middle. Well, used to anyway - got that fixed now, but of course created another problem in doing so! After removing, trimming and reattaching the engine assembly it is no longer perpendicular to the bulkhead. I've glued a small shim to the fuselage bulkhead to compensate. Incidentally, the point of that bulkhead was really to make up for the millimetre of so of plastic that I lost when I separated the cowl parts from the fuselage. The dihedral appears OK to me, though I can't be sure that it's accurate. It's actually all coming together rather well at this stage, though I've still got plenty of work to do. I should be able to get a fair bit done today, so I'll have some more photos up in a few hours. Thanks for looking in guys. Kev Edited August 5, 2017 by Big Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLP Publishing Posted June 27, 2010 Author Share Posted June 27, 2010 (edited) ScanmanDan said: Oh, the joys of model building. Your little Wildcat is coming along great Kev. I've been lurking about as you have been hammering this old kit into shape. Full marks for your abilities and determination to see a tough one through to the end. I can't wait to see how you apply you powers it's big scale brother. Keep up your spirits, the little cat will look kick @ss when it's finished. You just know that once you get some paint on her you'll feel so much better. Dan Hey Dan, thanks for checking in! Nice to see you over here. I'm looking forward to the 1/32 version myself. I've ended up with enough Revell Wildcat parts to build at least 3 complete models I reckon, plus the Horizon FM-2 conversion. I'm now contemplating all the hacktastic possibilities lurking in that box of parts! Kev Edited August 5, 2017 by Big Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLP Publishing Posted June 27, 2010 Author Share Posted June 27, 2010 (edited) Well, it's been a busy day at the modelling bench for a change, and here's the results of today's labours. Firstly, the wheel bay bulkhead has been fared in: It needs repainting now of course, but looks much better. Here's a shot of the right side of the fin: Check out the circled area. The forward edge of the rudder there is quite ragged, as my attempt to realign the hinge line was only partially successful. Still mulling on that one. The big work for the day though involved dealing with some very unsatisfactory trailing edges on both wings. On the left side there was quite a gap due to the shimming I had to do: And on the right side the lower edge was quite ragged, and didn't quite meet the upper one. So, I decided the easiest way to deal with this would be to glue some rod stock to each trailing edge, like so: And then trim and sand it to shape: Here's the final result after filling, sanding and priming: I'm pretty happy with that, and I'll be using this method whenever I have to deal with dodgy trailing edges again. Much easier than trying to build them up with CA! Here's an overall shot of how it looks at the moment: I'm going to have to spend a fair amount of time restoring lost rivet detail, especially on the lower fuselage surfaces, but the painting stage isn't too far away. Yippee! Kev Edited August 5, 2017 by Big Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spitfire Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 That's looking good, this build looks good for honing modelling skills ! Cheers Den Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLP Publishing Posted June 27, 2010 Author Share Posted June 27, 2010 (edited) spitfire said: That's looking good, this build looks good for honing modelling skills ! Too right Den! That's why I persevere with these types of builds - they're character building! Kev Edited August 5, 2017 by Big Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_in_Fremont Posted July 9, 2010 Share Posted July 9, 2010 Looks like you've made great progress! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLP Publishing Posted July 9, 2010 Author Share Posted July 9, 2010 (edited) I haven't posted an update in a while, but I haven't been completely idle (only mostly). Here's where she's at currently: Doesn't look like much progress, but I've been attending to the myriad surface and construction flaws. I must remember to scribe the panels on top of the fuselage forward of the cockpit! You can see I've also fitted the tail planes, and made an aerial post from a straight pin. It's a bit too long, but I'm not sure I can trim it without breaking it off. I've also added the final pieces of surface detail to the cowling: And finally, I've removed, separated and cleaned up the vac canopy parts: The windscreen will take some finagling to fit the fuselage closely, but hopefully I won't make too great a mess of it. This is only my second-ever vac canopy, so I'm a bit nervous! Kev Edited August 5, 2017 by Big Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverkite211 Posted July 10, 2010 Share Posted July 10, 2010 I think that you should be pretty proud of yourself with what you've done with the old, long in the tooth Monogram kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPNGROATS Posted July 10, 2010 Share Posted July 10, 2010 Nice...!! Good job, what a labor of "love"... Grumman Cheers,' ggc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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